Summer Nights
by DrivingMishCrazy
Summary: The Other's have a bonfire, and Juliet isn't exactly having fun until she's joined by Richard. With Tom shoving alcohol down everyone's throats and Ethan blasting his music, how far will things go? Slight AU, Richard/Juliet, pre-crash. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: Hmmm...so, I haven't done this in a while, and I just wanted to clear up a few things. Number one is that I am both very rusty when it comes to fan fiction, and this was written at 5 in the morning, so, you were warned. Secondly, I haven't seen an episode with Danny in it in a while, but I'm PRETTY darn sure that he's a bit OOC for this one. My explanation: He was being possessed by Miles for this fan fiction. Thirdly, don't ask me why Richard's taking Alex's advice. I don't know why. And finally, I am a huge, HUGE gigantic semi-rabid Suliet fan, so I found it pretty darn funny that my first attempt at LOST fan fiction is a Richard/Juliet one, but eh, it's not something you see everyday.**

**Author's second note (like second breakfast, except not): I was listening to the song Wild at Heart by Gloriana, on repeat while I was writing this, which is why it turned out the way it did. It's not really a songfic, but I would recommend listening to it (No, seriously, like I'm gonna say DON'T listen to it), just for the sake of seeing how it influenced the fan fiction.**

**One last thing: Reviews are welcomed, as is constructive criticism, but uh, yeah, just keep in mind this was written on a whim, so it's not going to be the best quality. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

  
**

**Summer Nights**

Juliet couldn't believe she had let Ethan talk her into coming to this stupid bonfire that someone had come up with (probably Tom). It had been particularly hot out, earlier, humid and sticky, even worse than anything she had ever experienced in Miami (believe it or not), which hadn't exactly left her in the best of moods. When the sun began to set, it had finally cooled down enough to open up the windows in her house, an endeavor that was, in turn, interrupted by Ethan with an invitation to the bonfire. She hadn't really wanted to go, what she had wanted was to sit down with a cool glass of lemonade and a good book and then try to call it an early night, but Ethan had insisted, giving her that polite, almost childlike smile of his. "Oh, you can't miss this!" he had told her eagerly, "We've only had a handful -Tom got the idea a couple summers ago- but everyone loves them. It won't go on all night, just a few hours, but I know that we'd all love for you to come." Juliet had looked at him uncertainly. "I don't know, Ethan, maybe I should sit this one out." Ethan gave her a pleading look and replied, "Oh, come on, Juliet. It'll be fun! Just for a little while, okay?" She'd stared at him for a moment before giving up. "Fine." she sighed "But only for a little while." Ethan's face brightened. "Great!" he said "It's worth it, I promise!"

So now Juliet found herself on the stretch of beach that was a ten minute walk from the community where they all lived sitting in front of an enormous bonfire alone. Ethan had sat and talked to her for a few minutes before joining Goodwin, Danny and Tom in a game of cards, and Ben, who would have otherwise been as attentive as ever, had left early with Alex after seeing her getting a bit too friendly with Karl, so she sat, alone, and not having much fun at this overhyped bonfire. Juliet had almost decided to get up and head back home when she was joined by Richard. Since she had come to the island, Juliet had had a cordial, if limited acquaintance with Richard, and she was more than a little surprised when he sat down beside her. "Having fun?" he asked her politely. She shrugged and dug her toes into the sand. "Sure" she replied, throwing a glance at him. He smiled. "That wasn't a very convincing reply." he remarked, causing Juliet to laugh. "I was never very good with social events." she explained "My sister was the party animal and I was always holed up somewhere with my nose in a book, unless she managed to drag me along with her, wherever she was going. Which wasn't often, mind you, and even when she did talk me into coming with her, I always ended up at the back of the room by myself while she was off with some boy." Juliet could hear herself rambling, and finally managed to shut herself up, embarrassed. Richard chuckled. "I'm partial to a quiet night at home, myself." he admitted "But this is pretty nice."

About this time, Tom called out from the other side of the bonfire, "Alright, everybody, come and get these drinks! We've got everything, and I mean everything." From where they were sitting, Juliet could see him grin. "We had to kick Karl out, though, poor kid. But Ben insists that, even on this godforsaken island in the middle of nowhere, the twenty-one and up rule still stands. Help yourself, guys, don't be shy! I think we have some hot dogs and marshmallows and all the fixings for s'mores, too, if anyone is hungry..."

Richard looked at her. "You want something to drink?" he asked. She shrugged. "Why not?" she replied, and they made their way over to the ice chest, each grabbing a bottle of Dharma rum and heading back to wear they had been sitting before, sipping their drinks in silence and watching everyone else meander around the bonfire. Somehow, Ethan had gotten ahold of a battery-operated boom-box and wasted no time blasting Hank Williams' greatest hits collection. Aldo made a show of dancing with Amelia, Danny and Colleen joined in, and Ethan, Tom, and Goodwin, all a little bit tipsy, made a sort of circle and danced clumsily with each other while Harper snickered on the sidelines. Not even Juliet could surpress her laughter at this ridiculous scene, and Richard shook his head, an amused expression on his face. "This always happens when alcohol comes into the equation." he commented "Ethan always tells us the day after when everyone has bad hangovers and made fools of themselves that he's going to tell Tom to quit bringing so much, but it never happens." Juliet laughs again. "I can imagine." she says as Tom walks up to them with two more bottles of rum.

"Alright, you two wallflowers." he adressed them, a slight slur to his words "Since you won't join the party, the party will have to come to you! After a couple of drinks, you should loosen up a little." Juliet's eyes widen a little, she looked from her and Richard's half-empty bottles of rum to the two unopened ones that Tom set in front of them. "Oh no, Tom, really, that's not necessary." she smiled politely and shook her head "There's still plenty here, and I certainly don't need anymore." Tom grinned at her. "Aww, come on, Julie." he chuckled "Lighten up, we're all friends here. A little booze might do you some good. You too, Richard." Tom looked at Richard and raised an eyebrow. "Now this guy is quite a character." he added, the topic of the conversation looking curiously at him. "No matter how hammered I try to get him, it never has any affect. Ain't that right, Richard?" Richard forced a smile. "I guess I just have a higher tolerance to alcohol." he replied diplomatically. Danny, who was stumbling past them, snorted. "More like a freakin' vampire." they heard him mutter "I mean seriously, what the hell..." Juliet quickly masked the smirk that formed on her face at that remark. Richard rolled his eyes in a half-amused, half-annoyed way. "Why do you want to see me drunk so badly, anyway, Tom?" he said in a joking manner. Something flickered in Tom's eyes, and he muttered something before walking away.

Juliet raised an eyebrow, but Richard just shrugged his shoulders, finishing the last of his bottle of rum and opening one of the ones that Tom brought them. Juliet followed suit. "So, from what Tom was saying, I guess I should never challenge you to a drinking game." she joked. Richard chuckled. "You can challenge me to a drinking game, Juliet." he said "I'll just win. That's all." They both laughed a little bit. Halfway through the second bottle of rum, Juliet realizes that she's starting to get a little tipsy, herself, but she's talking and laughing with Richard, and she can't bring herself to care. She knows she probably shouldn't, but she allows herself to get another drink, and another after that, Richard always matching her drink for drink. She's fully aware by now that she's drunk, and she's also aware that, true to what Tom mentioned earlier, that the alcohol has had no visible affect on her companion. As she opened bottle number five, Juliet wonders at how easily alcohol lets her forget her inhibitions, and she concludes that having Richard to talk to doesn't hurt, either.

Eventually, someone manages to hijack the boom-box and replaces Ethan's Hank Williams collection with Mott the Hoople, and over the opening notes of "All the Young Dudes", a though occurs to Juliet. "This song is almost as old as I am." she says out loud "God, that's so weird to think about." Richard stares at her for a second before saying, out of nowhere, "Would you like to dance?" Juliet blinks, and in the back of her mind, she can't help but notice how out of the blue that question was. But instead of communicating this to Richard, she smiled and nodded her head. "Sure, why not?" she said "Assuming I can still stand up. Whoa! See, I almost wiped out, there." Richard chuckled watching her stumble as she struggled to stand up, and quickly got to his feet and helped her get her balance. "Let's just dance here." he suggested "It's as good a place as any." Juliet nodded and put her arms around his neck, while his went to her waist. They weren't dancing so much as swaying, but it was good enough. As Ian Hunter crooned at the listeners of the song to "carry the news", Richard looked at his dance partner, and he thought that he had never seen eyes that pretty shade of blue before, and her hair looked especially gold when the light from the bonfire caught it. "Those stars look like diamonds tonight." Juliet remarked "It's incredible..." she trailed off as she caught the look in Richard's eyes. She wondered to herself how she had never noticed how dark Richard's eyes were. They were beautiful, exotic, like coffee without any milk in it. Juliet felt the colour rising in her cheeks as she realised her own thoughts. Had she really just described Richard Alpert as beautiful? Even if it was only in her mind, it still surprised her. Richard leaned in closer, and Juliet's heart rate quickened. She had a sudden urge to kiss him, and, had she been sober, the very idea would have mortified her, but now, she was curious, she wanted to see if he would stop her or if he would let her kiss him. She leaned further in and Richard followed her lead, their foreheads touching. Juliet looked up into his eyes to try and read his expression, and what she saw was Richard holding her gaze, a look in his eyes that said, _I want this, too._ Juliet moved to close the gap between their lips, only to be interrupted by Tom's voice calling out over the music.

"Alright, folks, it's almost midnight!" he announced "Now, Ben expects us all to report for duty tomorrow, so we'd better pack up and head back. And Ethan, don't you dare fall asleep on the beach like last time, you don't want to get sand fleas again, do you?" Juliet broke away from Richard, her cheeks burning. She averted her eyes. "I guess I should be getting back, then." she said, suddenly shy. Richard was still a bit dazed and Juliet's embarrassment didn't immediately register in his mind. "I'll walk with you." it wasn't a request. Juliet shrugged. "Okay." she replied. "After you."

They walked back to the barracks in complete silence, Juliet was totally humiliated, even if she was still pretty tipsy, and Richard, not wanting to say anything to make her uncomfortable. They were both secretly disappointed that they had let the moment get away. Both of them knew that neither of them would have been compelled to be so intimate if it hadn't been aided by alcohol, music, and atmosphere, and both were well aware that they would probably never get the courage to pick up where they left off at the next party that was thrown. Juliet was too shy and Richard too composed to try anything in a normal situation, it would never work. They had let it, whatever "it" was, escape, and they would never get that moment back.

They reached Juliet's porch before either of them spoke. "Tonight was...fun..." Juliet said cautiously "I didn't think it would be, but it was. And I think you're to thank for that. If you hadn't been nice enough to talk to me, I probably would have just sat there most of the night, or gone home. But I actually had a good time." Richard gave her a small smile. "I had a pretty good time, too." he replied "And I'm glad I had a friend to share it with." Juliet cocked an eyebrow. "We're friends now?" she said amused, and Richard shrugged. "Why not?" he replied, and they both fell silent. Richard moved closer to Juliet and looked in her eyes again, the same way he had done at the bonfire. The intensity of his gaze unnerved Juliet, she couldn't decide if she wanted to move in or move away, so she just stood still. Richard put a hand on her waist and pulled her closer. Juliet gasped. "Richard..." she started. She didn't want to stop him, not really, but it was like a natural reflex. To say stop, to push him away, to deny any attraction. But before she could get any further with what she was trying to say, Richard leaned over and put his mouth on hers. Juliet shudders slightly at the novelty of his lips against hers, but quickly forgetting any reservations she had. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he tangled his hand in her hair, keeping his other hand placed firmly on the small of her back. His tongue slides past her lips, and she grips him tightly. Finally, they break apart, gasping for air, and neither of them speaks for a moment.

Richard buries his face in her hair, taking in her scent, and she rests her head against his chest. They stay like that for what seems like an eternity, and finally, Juliet looks up and kisses him again, and this time, it's softer, gentle, where the first kiss was fierce and needy. He puts his hand on her cheek and kisses her forehead. Danny walks by, still drunk and mutters, "Get a room..." but they don't hear him. Juliet raises her eyes to Richard's and she kisses him again. Once. Twice. Again. "Come inside..." it was a statement and a question, and it brought Richard back down to earth. "What?" he asks her, holding her by the shoulders. "Juliet, you've had a lot to drink tonight...you shouldn't...if people saw, they would talk..." Juliet wore a hurt look. "Does that really matter?" When he didn't answer her, she put on that mask, that perfect poker face that made it impossible for anyone to guess what she was feeling. "Oh, I see." she said quietly, in that eerie, calm voice of hers "Alright. Well, if anyone saw...if anyone asks, you can just blame it on the booze tomorrow. Goodnight, Richard." She turns and walks into her house, closing the door behind her, and Richard stands there for another minute, feeling like a fool, before making his way back to his own home, resigned.

----

The next day, they avoided one another like the plague, stealing glances at each other, but never meeting the other person's gaze. Word had spread like wildfire that Richard and Juliet had spent quite a bit of time together at the bonfire, consumed more than a little alcohol, and had been dancing a bit close for just friends near the end of the bonfire. Danny also mentioned seeing them kiss, but seeing as he was still pretty trashed that night, he couldn't be considered a reliable source. Neither Juliet or Richard confirmed or denied the rumors, but the way Juliet blushed and Richard hastily changed the subject spoke for itself.

Sometime in the late afternoon, Alex caught up with Richard as he was making his way across the barracks to the left side. "Richard!" she said, breathless as she ran to his side "Is it true? What everyone's saying?" He gave her a look that clearly said, _Drop it, Alex._ "Aww, come on! Ben made me leave early, I gotta know!" He remained silent. Alex chewed on her bottom lip for a minute, working out what she wanted to say. "Okay," she started carefully "So, let's say it's not true, okay, fine. I'm sure you or Juliet will set the record straight, right?" Richard raised an eyebrow at the annoyingly persistent teenager. "So, let's say it _is_ true. You guys are avoiding each other. She's embarrassed, you're embarrassed, that's not gonna help anything!" Richard sighed, exasperated. "Are you going somewhere with this, Alex?" he asked "Look, what happened between Juliet and I is none of your business, or anyone elses. No one should have to admit to anything or deny anything. And what do you know about relationships, anyway? You're sixteen years old." Alex rolled her eyes, as if he was dense. "I know enough to know that if you don't _say_ how you feel and _show_ how you feel, you never get anywhere! And I know a lot more than you think and a lot more than Ben wants me to." Richard decided to let her have that one, but said nothing. Alex grabbed his arm. "Look, you like her, right? So go tell her so, don't avoid her, let her know how you feel! She's right over there!" She pointed to Juliet who was standing across the way, pretending she didn't see them. Richard was about ready to tell Alex, point blank, to stay out of his business, but he stopped himself. The kid had a point, even if she was butting in and being obnoxious about it. He nodded, half to her, half to herself, and, making up his mind quickly, strode over to where Juliet was.

"Juliet!" he called, forcing her to look at him "I want to talk to you." Juliet's cheeks were tinged pink, but she kept her face neutral and folded her arms across her chest. "Yes, Richard?" she said. He stopped in front of her. "Look," he started "Last night...what happened...it wasn't a mistake. I'm not going to pretend it didn't happen, and I'm not going to blame it on the alcohol. I kissed you, and I did it because of how I _feel_, not because of what I drank, and I'm not afraid to admit it." His hand brushes the hair away from her face, and rested on her cheek. "And I would rather have you shoot me down in front of everyone than pretend it never happened and wonder what might have happened if I had just had the courage to face you." Juliet stared at him, her expression softened. She knew that he meant every word he said, and she knew she felt the same way, and she was ashamed that it took either of them so long to get the nerve to say so. She didn't say anything, not a word, but she leaned in, rising on the tip of her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeply and slowly. Somewhere in the distance, Juliet thought she heard Tom cheer, Richard knew that Alex was watching behind them, grinning, and Danny, true to form, ambled past mumbling "About damn time..." and cursing his mammoth hangover. When they finally pulled away from each other, Juliet smiled up at him, and Richard kissed her on the forehead. Out of the corner of his eye, Richard saw Ben staring daggers at them, but he didn't care.

"So..." Juliet said casually "Dinner at my place, tonight?" Richard smiled a genuine smile. "It's a date." He grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he frowns quizzically. "Can I ask you something?" he says, sounding a little confused. Juliet nodded, looking curious and amused. "You had quite a bit to drink last night..." Richard began slowly "But you don't seem like a person with a massive hangover. How did you manage that?" Juliet's amused expression turned into a shit-eating grin. "Oh, that?" she said, grinning evilly "That is a secret I'll be taking to my grave."

-FIN-


End file.
